1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combined universal head and grip preferably used for a video camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Usually, a revolver type grip is used for a video camera so as to improve operation performance. Such grips are often foldable and are used as a handle when the grip is folded.
When a picture is taken by a conventional video camera in a remote control operation, the video camera is panned and tilted by a universal head which is electrically driven and attached on a tripod as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-146366. In the above described conventional video camera with a grip, a connecting member is provided between the grip and the universal head. The connecting member is fixed and integrally formed with the universal head via the grip.
In the above described video camera, it is necessary to employ a tripod and a battery source and other attachments in addition to the universal head, so that the volume of the necessary members becomes large and the weight thereof becomes heavy for portable use. Under the above conditions, use of the camera is made difficult.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-243673, there is disclosed a video camera with a driving mechanism for panning and tilting the video camera installed in a body of the grip. In such a video camera, the grip is attached on a tripod or a similar separated supporting member, for example, a battery case or a cassette case, the tripod is integrally formed with the grip at a lower portion of the grip or a universal head of the video camera rotates horizontally by itself on a flat surface. However, under the above described conditions, some attachments are still necessary and the video camera may be driven unstably.
A purpose of the present invention is to resolve the above drawbacks and provide a combined universal head and grip which enables stable taping in a remote operation work without using any attachments.